Since the discovery of regular breeding of Pallid Harriers in Finland in 2011, the number of sightingshas markedly increased right acrossEurope. That night, after seeing the notification of a sighting of a Pallid Harrier in Waddinxveen, I told her: "If that Pallid Harrier is spotted again tomorrow, I'll try to see . They're declining in their breeding range (now classed as Near Threatened) so chances of them spreading and colonising W Europe are pretty low. In one of the most unexpected discoveries of the year, the mother harrier's origins also provided a further fascinating twist in an already remarkable tale. Sometimes forms flocks outside of the breeding season, occasionally mixing with other harrier species. E: 100-120 cm. It also resembles other harriers in having distinct male and female plumages. on tuesday the 26th of april i was very fortunate to spot the first ever sighting in northern ireland of a pallid harrier (female) this has been confirmed on ni birding, irish birding, and ni birds, I understand this is an old thread, but want to reply anyway, Marsh Harrier? Rare birds usually turn up when you are too busy to go and see them one of the reasons why I gave up twitching 20 years ago. I was beginning to think we were missing out here in Somerset, when one was found just 10 miles north of my home, on the Mendip Hills. Amazing close views from the car - it flew right in front of us! In flight, a bit bulkier than Montagu's but much more buoyant than Hen Harrier. Please enter details of your sighting below for our recorder to evaluate. 2. From darker birds, to clearer and more alike to PH birds, although they tend to show thin, dark streaks on the chest, flanks, or small and median under coverts; even completely plain, as in PH. The male was discovered at the end of May and, over subsequent days, was watched conducting food passes with a female of the species. MH: Montagus dont usually show this sort of clear patch at the base of outer primaries, but there are birds which might also show it, at least in a subtle way. 7. Its fantastic to think that we could have seen our first pallid harrier in Lancashire, if not the first in the North-west.. Wing:310-355 mm,345-390 mm. All Records (Accepted, Rejected, Pending). Like most harrier species, there are distinct color differences between males and females. They have a grace, elegance, and aerial manoeuvrability rare even in the world of raptors. The harrier will glide low over open ground and drift slowly, diving and surprising prey once theyve identified it, making them very effective stealth and surprise hunters. Learn how your comment data is processed. PH: as a rule, the classic specimens only show some dark at the end of fingers, not spreading anywhere else, being the contrast quite evident, abrupt; although it could also vary according to the individual, and its not strange to find birds with this dark more spread. Dutch Birding 7: 41-54. MH: the dark facial disk from the ear tufts is less prominent and isolated, not usually connected to the nape nor the basis of the lower mandible. 10. MH: the classic specimens dont show a prominent collar, but some do, especially if they have spread and uniform dark facial disk or the boa. Very unusually, a juv spent the 2015-2016 winter in Norfolk. * Bird News Pro and Bird News Ultimate subscribers receive full sighting details. Through my binoculars I could see the long wings and tail, narrow white rump and, best of all, the deep orange shade of its underparts, glowing in the October sunshine. Lucky you Pete! Occasionally,pallid harrier has breed in countries of central and southern Europe, hybrydizing with other harrier species, especially hen harrier. I could easily see the striking head pattern, in particular a really obvious pale collar, he said. They often flee to India, Iran and Africa in the winter to avoid the cold and will travel back to the north in the spring to begin nesting and mating by the summer time. Many of us are constantly on the look out for rarities when we're out and about birding. So as they searched for animal tracks and waded up to their ankles in thick, black goo, I scanned the wide horizon for signs of the harrier. Status in Kuwait: Common passage migrant and scarce winter visitor. English Name: Pallid Harrier. Your email address will not be published. Not such amazing views when we managed to find a place to stop and I could point my camera at it, as it had by then drifted way across a field. They are adapted for steady flight over low, open ground and are able to dive quickly to pin down and catch prey in grassy areas. ID Special: Hen, Northern, Pallid and Montagus Harriers. Adults measure 40-48 cm (16-19 in) long with a wingspan of 95-120 cm (37-47 in). Highest daily count: 35 on 21/9/2004. PH: the secondary darks have a distinctive design in most birds, with one or two complete clearer stripes, even grey, being the outer one a bit wider. In case the facial disc is a bit coloured, it doesnt emphasize so much. Although by the time Martin got his camera the bird was now distant, But the photographs show the distinctive under wing pattern. The bird also has too much white around the eye socket isolating the ear-covert patch. Naturalized: Exotic population is self-sustaining, breeding in the wild, persisting for many years, and not maintained through ongoing releases (including vagrants from Naturalized populations). It is easy to distinguish between male and female harriers, as detailed above in the appearance section, they have vastly different plumage and this coupled with their noticeable size difference makes it very easy to determine which bird is male and which is female which is great for spotting pairs and keeping track of nesting and mating behavior. Presumed Pallid Harrier. This particularly showy individual has been watched travelling the length of the reserve, coming past all of the hides, at times right in front of them. To filter/search please enter a phrase. A range of issues affect the pallid harrier, particularly the decline of boglands and heaths where the birds prefer to summer and nest, as well as a decline in wide, open plains across much of Europe due to farming and other development activities. Pallid harriers are very mobile birds, and having travelled thousands of miles to be here, this one was no exception. I consulted Dick Forsman for a second view and he replied after studying the image thus -: 11. PH: the majority tends to have a thin eyebrow, not really highlighted. Twitchers gathered on Holy Island in Northumberland after the pallid harrier was spotted in October. https://www.flickr.com/photos/124028194@N04/. 207076, Scotland no. We have two Dewlap Toulouse geese, male and female. Pallid Harrier - Lancashire Jon Worthington, Pallid Harrier - Shetland Rebecca Nason. But Martin was constantly shouting out while he was watching the bird that it lacked a dark trailing edge to the wing, and that it had only a small amount of black on the wing tip. Even though, there are some individuals, especially females, with wide dark stripes identical to PH. not sure don't know too much about them but going by the irish birding sites they reckon it is not the same one. Willow Warbler 1 Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Pallid harrier. The birds most commonly nest in single pairs but can nest in a larger but loose group of between 3 and 5 pairs which will dominate a territory. MH: extremely varying in MH. Wing: 310-355 mm, 345-390 mm. MH: They always display a back dark stripe on the wing. The call of the pallid harrier is a high pitched keek-keek-keek. I was just happy that I had seen this rare wanderer at all. I then put out news that we had just seen a Hen Harrier. Your email address will not be published. 5. Males are ghostly gray above with black wingtip wedges. LOL, Pretty sure they do not breed in the UK yet. Still a wonderful sight. The Pallid harrier is one of the most elegant birds of prey that occasionally visits the Netherlands. L: 41-48 cm. Although no confirmed breeding attempts have yet been made, there have been signs that this might not be too far off for example, a territorial male spent a couple of weeks displaying over a Lancashire moor in spring 2017. Wintering has become a feature, too, with around five birds each year (this showing a slowly increasing trend). document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Pallid harrier by Paul Nobbs A juvenile pallid harrier has been giving great views to visitors on the reserve since the weekend. The first case of the speciesbreeding in western Europe was noted as recently as 2017, when a pair raised four chicks in The Netherlands. Shoveler 20 A nest was built in a wheat field in a largely agricultural landscape, in what is the closest French department to England. FORSMAN, D. & ERTERIUS, D. 2012. They rarely show a similar extension to PH, this causing a severe confusion afterwards. All images are Copywritted 2023. MH: the boa is mostly striated and blurred, barely prominent. They're declining in their breeding range (now classed as Near Threatened) so chances of them spreading and colonising W Europe are pretty low. Bulletin British Ornithologists Club 118:52-54. We revelled in our Twitter glory as we announced that we had just found a Pallid harrier on a sea watch in Scotland - not something very many birders can say. Here in Somerset we regularly see marsh harriers, and during the winter the occasional hen harrier drops in too. In this guide were going to highlight some of the key information you need to know about these birds, and well be touching on everything from their appearance to their hunting behavior, mating, nesting, as well as their diet, habitat, migration routes, lifespan, natural predators and their conservation status to make sure you have everything you need to know and can spot them as soon as you have the opportunity to catch a glimpse of these amazing birds.Lets get started with their appearance so you know exactly what to look for when youre out spotting. CLARK W.S., CLARKE R. 1998. Vagrants have been spotted in western Europe and Great Britain but these sightings are vanishingly rare although a juvenile did winter successfully in the UK in 2002/03 and a pair of pallid harriers nested in the Netherlands in 2017, raising four chicks successfully, indicating that these birds are incredibly adaptive and can be found across Europe, Asia and parts of Africa. Golden Eagles spotted Crawleyside/Stanhope Moor Durham? It was in immaculate plumage and was 100% and adult. (28693256) Rod Ferbrache, a birdwatcher for 25 years, recorded the first pallid harrier seen in Guernsey last year on 9 September. When their preferred small mammal prey is locally abundant, such as during the vole outbreaks of 2019 in Tierra de Campos, some birds may decide to stay and breed. Pallid harrier in Little Rann of Kutch This is a typical harrier, with long wings held in a shallow V in its low flight. It is now considered a rare migrant, with around 100 individuals seen in an average year, although there is strong inter-annual variation and the species is susceptible to large spring influxes. PH: the dark stripes at the primaries tend to be wider than in MH, even though its a varying fact, and it could even be the exactly the same in some individuals. I missed one once by 20 minutes when we were out with other people on a survey & they saw it at our lunch spot before we got there. In spring, the main flyway runs through the central part of the Mediterranean while in autumn, the route runs through the East of the Mediterranean region. International Action Plan for the Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus). With a juvenile Pallid Harrier being spotted yesterday where I was the day before (just my luck) it got me thinking do they breed in this country? Pallid harriers are slightly smaller than buzzard and are white below with black wingtips. My last UK sighting was at RSPB Salthouse a couple of years ago. I personally have only seen Pallid Harrier once before, last autumn in La Janda in Cadiz province, and it was a second year male so there was no debate about it. Illustration: George Boorujy. Field identification of female and juvenile Montagus and Pallid Harriers. That was enough for alarm bells to ring.. Wonderful winter's birding in the East Midlands yesterday. PH: the clear collar is wide and neat, clearly outlining the dark cheeks. 10.00. It was pouring with rain and the Harrier kept very low to the ground as it headed up the reserve. Show Details. Chiffchaff 4 Annual complete moult between May-June and September-October. Birding World25(2): 68-75. Provisional species count in official eBird totals. Click Submit to share your rare bird sightings via our simple form. Although mixed pairs of these species have been regularly observed in France, they had never apparently produced fledged youngsters before now. Scientific Name: Circus macrourus. But the fourth British species, the pallid harrier, is so rare that only a score or so have ever turned up here, wanderers from their breeding grounds on the remote Russian steppes. Yellow-browed Warbler. I see on Birdguides that it was seen again on Big Moor this morning. SC037654, Accepting all non-essential cookies helps us to personalise your experience, These cookies are required for basic web functions, Allow us to collect anonymised performance data. The pair nested in Marne departement, to the east of Paris, and fledged four young. Circus macrourus L: 41-48 cm. Blackcap 2, Avocet 1 Other birds of interest included Red Kite, Hobby, Common Sandpiper and Redshank. 1997. Their breeding grounds are most typically in eastern europe and central asia/Iran, and winters in India and southeast Asia as well as some parts of Africa occasionally. Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus , Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus , Male Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus , Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus, young male , Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus, 1st autumn male. Adults measure 40-48 cm (16-19 in) long with a wingspan of 95-120 cm (37-47 in). Males typically are white or grey on the upper side and white on the underside of the bodies, with thin black wingtip feathers at the extremity of both their wings.Females are brown on the upper side and have white plumage in their tails beneath the main tail feathers, which is what gives the females the nickname ringtails. hopefully i can attach pics to this if not they are in gallery. All Rights Reserved. The pallid harrier breeds in Ukraine and Russia and spends most of the winter in Africa or India, and is a rare visitor to Western Europe. MH: the immense majority tend to display fully dark tips of fingers, and this dark blurs throughout the feather; well hardly ever observe a restricted and abrupt design such as classic PHs. In Cardiff. Birding World 10(7): 267-269. Nice to see the photos. They breed in Eastern Europe & I think go to Africa for the winter, so some of the youngsters take the long route via the UK & Western France. Pallid Harriers in Northwest Europe and the identification of presumed Pallid Harrier x Hen Harrier hybrids. ____________________________________________________________________, Yep it's been seen for three days now I managed to get Simon (the original guy to see it) to send a photo to SBSG, there are now a couple more photos from yesterday www.sbsg.org//recent-news, Here's Simon's photos and you can see by his comments he didn't know what he was letting himself in for, his email went into meltdown www.flickr.com//28944108274 and the guys photos on the SBSG website are here www.flickr.com//andyds6, You can understand it going viral. Thousands of miles to be here, this one was no exception patch! Dewlap Toulouse geese, male and female enter details of your sighting for! Pro and bird News Ultimate subscribers receive full sighting details neat, clearly outlining the dark cheeks Kuwait: passage... 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